Reading in talks with Italian giants over potential partnership

Reading are in talks to set up a partnership with Juventus which could see the Serie A side send some of their talented youngsters to England.

As reported by the Reading Post, club owner Anton Zingarevich has confirmed that there are on-going talks between the two clubs, and although it is unlikely a deal will be in place in the coming days, they are hopeful an agreement can be reached.

“It’s good to get established with a club like that. They are looking for partner clubs and we’re in discussions right now. But there’s nothing to confirm yet, we are just in discussions,” he told the Post.

“It’s more in terms of player development.

“They have 100 players on the books which they look to develop and so they are looking to get partnerships with clubs who can help them do that.”

Reading currently have a similar agreement in place with Turkish giants Galatasaray, and believe that the club can benefit from these types of arrangements as they give talented youngster a chance of regular first-team football.

In exchange, the likes of Juve are able to send out their stars to further improve their game as opposed to being confined to the bench during their most important years of development.

Director Nick Hammond recently returned from a trip to Turin to discuss terms of the deal with Juve officials, but Zingarevich was keen to stress that this would not be an exclusive deal.

Nevertheless, the Championship outfit have made great strides in increasing their commercial power this summer, after announcing sponsorship link-ups with both Formula One racing team Marussia, as well as a deal with The Legends Alliance.